On March 5, two staffs from KRCC in Chicago and two students went to Springfield, Illinois for the floor vote on the Illinois House Bill 60 (HB60). The HB60 passed in the House, and the bill must next pass in the Illinois Senate.
The HB60 makes higher education possible for many undocumented students by allowing them to pay in-state tuition instead of the much more expensive out-of-state tuition. Until 1996, undocumented students residing within the state were able to pay in-state tuition. However, using the argument that it was unfair for out-of-state U.S. citizens to pay more than undocumented immigrants, Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) was enacted, under which undocumented immigrant students (with exceptions of few states such as NY and CA) were forced to pay out-of-state tuition.
